(NewsNation) — Lawmakers hammered the CEO of TikTok at a hearing Thursday as they consider banning the Chinese-owned app over national security concerns.
One member of Congress actually thanked TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew for doing something rare, which is getting Democrats and Republicans in Washington to agree on something.
As the idea of banning TikTok picks up steam in Washington, the volume turned up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s meeting with a bipartisan angst focused on the app.
TikTok has roughly 150 million monthly active users, according to reports. Congressional and national security leaders worry the app is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party and are concerned with how American data can be used along with whether TikTok’s algorithm allows a foreign government to target and program the vulnerable and children.
In his first congressional hearing, Shou Chew faced repeated questioning about TikTok’s relationship to ByteDance, its China-based company which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Shou Chew maintained TikTok is not an agent of China and argued that American data is stored on American soil.
TikTok’s future in the U.S. is still unknown. The company says the Biden administration wants its Chinese leaders at the company to sell their stake.
All the facts
TikTok congressional hearings
There’s also a bipartisan bill in the Senate that could allow the president to ban the app. But some think a ban could prove to be a political pickle since TikTok is wildly popular among millennials and Gen Z.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently said: “The politician in me thinks you’re going to literally lose every voter under 35 forever.”
The White House distanced itself from those comments, denying there are any political considerations involved with any future decisions.
“This is not a political concern. This is about making sure that we do the right thing for the American people,” the White House press secretary said.
The future of TikTok is still very murky.